Albuquerque Fire Rescue battled four fires in the bosque since Monday

Albuquerque Fire Rescue has defended the Rio Grande bosque against four separate fires in the last 72 hours, using chainsaws and hoses to establish fire lines and subdue the flames.

Thursday afternoon, fire officials responded to two isolated fires on separate sides of the river near Tingley Beach, burning a total of 3 acres in the process and sending up enough smoke to be seen from across the city.

The 15-foot blaze near Tingley Beach, burning grass and cottonwood trees, was contained within an hour of AFR arriving, and firefighters attacked the two blazes using pumps filled with river water.

On Wednesday afternoon, AFR was dispatched to the east side of the Rio Grande after receiving reports of smoke north of Montaño. Officials confirmed a ¼-acre fire in the bosque, burning light grasses and cottonwoods.

Winds were less than 5 mph and “the rate of the spread was slow,” according to a news release from AFR. Another fire, on the south end of Montaño, was reported just 24 hours earlier.

AFR spokesperson Lt. Jason Fejer said those two fires did not appear to be related.

Investigators are still determining the cause of all four fires, but Fejer said they were “without a doubt” human-caused. He said investigators are trying to “identify some people” who may be responsible.

“There’s nothing to tie all the fires together other than proximity and time and location,” Fejer said in a briefing Thursday. “The fires are definitely suspicious in nature. They do appear to be human-set.”

Fejer did not respond to multiple calls for additional questions.

Because of the fire activity over the past week, officials have increased bosque patrols to a Level 2. That means AFR will actively scout the riverside forest from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., adding more units and resources to beef up the patrol.

“The public is one of our best resources to try and identify some of these fires and get to them early,” Fejer said. “If you see any fire activity, call 911. Fire is prohibited at all times in the bosque.”